


Who's scared of the dark?

by gaslampghost



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Civil war setting, Drabble, M/M, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-17 23:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5888749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaslampghost/pseuds/gaslampghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If a vampire is going to be afraid of the dark, Alfred feels like he at least has a good reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who's scared of the dark?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hannaadi88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannaadi88/gifts).



> This little story is a gift for the wonderful Hannaadi88.

"Bad food, constant manual labor, wet boots, and, of course, actually having to kill other human beings—all major drawbacks of the life of a wartime soldier, wouldn’t you agree?"

Alfred listened to the blond stranger speak, with an accent he couldn't quite place. A hint of familiarity tugged at his brain- but like the stranger's accent, it was a mystery to him right now.

"Although- I suppose knowing that you could be the next one lying dead in a field tops that list. I know it was my main concern-when I was a soldier...."

It was slowly dawning on Alfred that there was something very wrong with the man across from him. He wasn't wounded, yet his face and hands were coated with blood. His uniform did not belong to any battalions Alfred knew of.

"When are you going to accept my offer, Alfred? It’s so hard keeping you alive through all this."

"Get away from me, you devil!" Alfred screamed, watching in horror as the stranger licked his now visible fangs.

"Promises must be kept, Alfred."

~*~

"Stay away...Stay...No..."

Alfred woke up with a start, panting and soaked in sweat. Despite the complete darkness instead his tent, Alfred's first goal wasn't to light the lantern he kept nearby.

"In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy spirit..." Alfred mumbled, as he felt along his neck for any fresh wounds. His eyes shut tight against the darkness and any devils that were hidden it's shadows.

"What's ah matter, Alfred? You're sweatin' like ah whore in church" Jacob asked. Alfred could feel his friend moving nearby. Hopefully to light the lantern. Alfred couldn’t bring himself to do it right now.

“At least someone’s warm enough to sweat.” Benjamin mumbled, much less sympatric than his brother.

“Ah. I. I’m sorry fellas, for waking you up. Just a bad dream.” Alfred apologized, although it felt much more real than a dream.

He could almost feel the devil’s fingers wrapping around his neck…

“Let’s try to get some more sleep. Gotta lot of work in the morning.” Alfred offered, trying to settle himself back down into what was real. He was real- his friends Benjamin and Jacob were real. Chattanooga with all it’s bitter November winds was real. His brother, Matthew, was safe in a hospital somewhere- maybe already going home. That was real.

His dream was not.

 

~*~

 "Every three day; four bitty cakes of hard bread and barely a taste of salt pork. How they 'pect us to live on these rations?"  Benjamin grumbled to no one in particular, as he stared into the fire angrily.

"We're going to starve to death on these rations." Jacob agreed, with a little nod.

"If the cold doesn't get us first." Someone else felt the need to call out.

"Can't somebody just go out there and shoot us somethin' decent to eat? Gotta be somethin' around here."  Benjamin asked, turning to look at his older brother. He wasn't willing to go alone...But if his brother would agree with him? Benjamin's mouth watered at the thought of fresh deer meat.

"Are ya crazy? Step foot outta the city and yer go straight to Andersonville, if the Rebs don't just kill ya first!" Jacob reasoned. The fear of the Rebel forces surrounding them was a powerful one.

Alfred listened to his friends argue among themselves, paying attention only every so often. His brain giving more focus to the unfinished letter sitting in his lap.

               

_Matty,_

_I'm trusting this letter to the local postmaster's wife. She's a good one- I think she would be willing to cross enemy lines in order to mail this letter and the others out for us boys, if we only asked. The gal is probably a lot braver than the lot of us- Ben and the fellas are fighting right now on if the risk of running into a Reb is worth trying to hunt. Be happy that you are on the way home- you are probably the only man in this army that ain't starving._

_I guess I can't act like I'm any better than the others. I'm sitting here outside our tent- and let me tell you it's so much bigger without you here to share with. I have a lantern lit but the fire is close enough that I guess I shouldn't._

_Promise me not to laugh, but the nightmares are getting worse. If the Rebs don't kill me- Ben will!_

 

"All I'm saying is that Chattanooga ain't that bad of a place to die. It ain't too far from home, after all. Same state and all- much better than what a lot of boys are getting."

Alfred tuned back into his friend's conversations. It was almost as grim as one of his nightmares. Food, mud, and death. Were those the only things worth talking about anymore? When was the last time anyone had a nice conversation? Had no one received a Christmas gift from their wife? New Photos of their Children? Anything but death and mud?

               

_But I keep dreaming of that same bloody devil and he’s so real that I swear I’ve shaken his hand before. I gotta be honest with you, Mat. I feel silly to be actin’ so scared. I ain’t a child, scared of a hoot- owl outside. No, He’s real and he wants my soul, Matty, I’m sure of it. Maybe I’m dreaming of Death himself- that’s all anybody seems to want to talk about around here anyways._

_But it’s so real and I know it’s silly- but I’m more scared of the dark than I ever was before you left. There probably ain’t nothing out there, critter wise that I haven’t seen a hundred times before. The only devils being the Rebs. But I just ain’t so sure about those things when the sun goes down. I wish I could just sleep all night like I did before the war._

_I can’t help but jump awake every night. Last night I could swear that I wasn’t even dreaming- the devil himself was staring at me through the tent flap._

_I won’t waste paper talking about that anymore. It’s too hard to get any paper around here right now, seeing as all the supplies are cut off._

_How is your leg doing? Did you get to keep it? Are you back home already? Lucky dog if you are. The one young fella back in town? Just leave a few pretty girls for the rest of us. I’m sure Ma and Sis are happy to have you home already. How are our little nieces? Have they talked you into telling them ghost stories yet? Do they still like them, even? It’s been so long since I’ve seen them!_

_If you are home already, and there hasn’t been any word sent saying that I’m not on this side of heaven still, would you please ask Ma to send some socks? I’ve wore out all but two pair of mine._

_Mat, I’ma trying not to sound too down, but there’s been some talk flying around camp this week that we are gonna take another run at the Rebs soon. Me, Ben and Jac were told a bit ago that we’d be heading back up that damn mountain again to run off the Rebs. Guess the talk’s true._

 

“Hey, Alfred. You gonna stay up writin’ for awhile?” Jacob asked, softly, as he walked towards the tent they shared.

Alfred wrote one last sentence.

_I’m going to try to sleep now. If I can, I’ll write you after the battle and tell you how it goes._

“No. Nah, I’m done for the night. We gotta run this letter by the post before we head out in the mornin’.” Alfred replied, folding his letter up as carefully as possible.

“We’ll have to get up early to do that.” Jacob pointed out.

“I’ll try not to wake ya’ll up any sooner than we gotta be up.” Alfred attempted to joke.

“Hey…You ain’t the only one with nightmares. This whole war’s a nightmare. Don’t feel bad ‘bout it.” Jacob offered, gently, as he watched Alfred climb to his feet.

“Don’t suppose you dream up demons?” Alfred asked, bending over to grab the lantern.

“Dream of being shot. Right before I get back home. Sometimes I dream that my wife is watching from a window. I wake up trying to tell her to stay inside.” Jacob answered with a shrug. Trying to downplay it all. That’s what they did.

~*~

 

_"Promises must be kept, Alfred."_

Alfred’s eyes shot open, despite the complete darkness inside his tent.

…

…

It was quiet. There was no demon whispering into his ears. No complaining from Benjamin. None of Jacob’s snoring. It was just night.

Moving slowly, so that he wouldn’t wake up anyone- since he hadn’t managed to wake them up yet. Alfred sat up, rubbing his face, as he tried to wrap his mind around this dream. The demon had been in his tent. It had…

Alfred turned and squinted his eyes against the darkness, trying to make out his buddies shapes. It had been just another dream, hadn’t it? Alfred was sure that he’d feel really silly soon, when Jacob let out a big snore or something.

…They were breathing, weren’t they? Alfred couldn’t tell for sure in the darkness. Surely his eyes were playing tricks on him.

“Promises, promises. Alfred. You made me wait too long on your’s. Pity that your friends had to suffer for it.”

Alfred twisted back around quickly, trying to find where the demon’s voice had came from.

“Relax; it’s over. You belong to me now.”

 

~*~

_Matthew,_

_I’m sorry that you’ll be getting this news in the same envelope as your brother’s letter, but maybe his last words will provide you some comfort. Yesterday morning, when we realized that neither your brother, Ben or Jacob had joined the rest of us for breakfast, Tommie went to check on them. I’m not going to share with you the sad details, but Ben and Jacob’s bodies were found almost ripped apart. We aren’t sure what to make of it, to be honest. Looks like something maybe a bear could have done, or a mountain lion maybe. But none of us have seen any of those around camp. We couldn’t find Alfred and after waiting now for two days, we fear the worst. I’m sorry, but I wanted to least let you know._

_~*~_

 

"After all these years, you'd think I'd have figured out how to not bite myself..." Alfred commented, trying to break the heavy silence that had settled over the kitchen.

“Honestly, Alfred. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you…” Arthur sighed, tossing the blood-stained paper towel away. After cleaning up the wound and putting a little bit of Vaseline on top of it, there was nothing left to do but wait for it to heal on it’s own.

“I’ve never heard of a vampire being scared of the dark. Alfred, WE’RE creatures of the darkness! We’re the most scary thing there is!” Arthur tacked on. What was it again that had drawn him to this idiot?

“Hmm…I told you that nightlight’s bulb was going to need replacin’ last week.” Alfred commented, ignoring both Arthur’s tone and his comments.

“You are the only 175 year old grown man that I know of that has a Superman nightlight.” Arthur grumbled, “Hey! Don’t chew on that!”

Alfred forced himself to stop chewing on his healing bottom lip. What could he say? Bad habit.

“Sorry. I’m hungry.” Alfred replied instead.

“Child.” Arthur tsshed.

“You picked me. I didn’t ask to become a vampire, ya know.” Alfred pointed, out a little bit of bitterness crawling into his voice.

“Oh, but you did. Don’t ever forget your promise, love.” Arthur answered, automatically. This was a fight they had too often.

“I could leave you, ya know…” Alfred mused, “I mean. He’s dead. You ain’t got anything else to hold ‘gainst me.”

Arthur savored the deep southern accent that creeped back into Alfred’s voice whenever he got worked up.

“You’re free to go. Unburden me of yourself, please. That is, if you think you can make it out there on your own.” Arthur rebutted.

….

….

“I’m hungry, Arthur.” Alfred stated, softly.

“Yes. Okay. Let’s go hunt.” Arthur agreed, allowing their little tiff to disappear.

Alfred hopped off the kitchen counter with a grin, following Arthur towards the door.

“Hey- you gonna kiss me at midnight?” Alfred asked, slipping his hand into Arthur’s.

“Just because it’s New Year’s…” Arthur answered, letting out a little chuckle. Maybe he hadn’t picked too badly when he chose Alfred. At least he always kept things interesting….

“As long as you don’t bite though your lip again…”


End file.
